Maine budget task force holds first meeting Thursday

AUGUSTA, Maine — A 12-member task force that’s under legislative orders to find $25 million in savings in the Maine budget is holding its first meeting.

The panel will meet Thursday in the State House and is expected to meet several more times in the months ahead before it completes its work. It was created this spring to analyze state departments and agencies with the goal of prioritizing services, consolidating functions and eliminating duplication and inefficiencies to achieve at least $25 million in savings.

Gov. Paul LePage appointed members of the bipartisan panel on Aug. 1.

The committee holds its inaugural meeting as LePage calls on state department heads to use zero-based, bottom-to-top budgeting in order to achieve much greater savings and efficiencies.